Students, parents, teachers, and principals all spend a great deal of time discussing grades and what they represent. But what is the true purpose of a grade? What evidence supports it? And what motivates a student to strive for strong grades?

At its core, grading is about learning. A grade reflects how well a student understands the state standards and district curriculum for their grade level or course. In essence, it is a measure of student achievement.

At McKinney Independent School District, we continually seek ways to enhance the quality of education in our classrooms. We believe students should not only learn academic content but also be able to apply their knowledge to real-life situations. Our grading procedures are designed to assess both what students know and how deeply they understand the content.

Report cards are a tool to create a connection between students, parents and teachers. Parents need to know their child’s progress in school to understand how to best help them along the way.

Skyward Family Access, is an online tool for McKinney ISD students and parents to find the most recent information regarding student attendance, grades, assignments and class schedules.

Progress reports and report cards are anticipated to be available in Family Access by the dates below:

UIL eligibility rules in Texas require students to maintain passing grades in all classes (except some advanced courses) under the "No Pass, No Play" policy, be enrolled in a four-year high school program, and be under 19 years old on September 1 of the contest year. Students must also meet specific academic, musical, or athletic requirements for the particular competition and comply with residency, age, and physical condition rules. 

In accordance with EIA (local), a student shall be permitted “a reasonable opportunity to redo/retake a summative assignment/test as provided in administrative procedures, except that no student shall be permitted to retake a final exam.” In support of mastery learning all students will be afforded the opportunity to redo or retake tests. These students should receive an Incomplete “I” until their assignments are retaken and the grade is changed to a numerical value. This is true for the first six- week UIL eligibility check, as well as the future nine-week eligibility checks. Students who are eligible to complete make-up assignments after the last day of a grading period, can still make up their assignments (according to local policy) and change their UIL eligibility status. These students should receive an Incomplete “I” until their makeup assignments are completed and the grade is changed to a numerical value. Once the grade is changed to an eligible numerical value, the student will regain UIL eligibility, even if this occurs after the UIL seven-day grace period. This is true for the first six-week UIL eligibility check, as well as the future nine-week eligibility checks.